Induro AT203 Test Results

The Induro AT203 is a modular systematic style tripod, made from aluminum. A rare combination, and indeed no longer made. This tripod turned out not to be particularly stiff, which is no surprise. However, the damping is exceptional for an aluminum tripod. I don’t know yet exactly what design decisions improve the damping. One guess is that the rubber platform style foot makes a difference. This will be the subject of a future test.

Name

Induro AT203

Class

Systematic

Stiffness About Vertical Axis

633 +/- 4 Nm/rad

Damping About Vertical Axis

0.342 +/- 0.034 Js/rad

Stiffness About Radial Axis

1446 +/- 9 Nm/rad

Damping About Radial Axis

1.46 +/- 0.15 Js/rad

Retail Price

$180

Weight

5.29 lbs (2.4 kgs)

Manufacturer weight rating

28.7 lbs

Maximum Height

56.4 in (143.3 cm)

Minimum Height

14.8 in (37.6 cm)

Center Column

No

Base Diameter

1.6 in (4.1 cm)

Folded Length

25.5 in (64.8 cm)

Folded Circumference

15.8 in (40.1 cm)

Folded Volume

507.0 cu. in. (8.3 liters)

Leg Material

Aluminum

Leg Sections

3

Primary Leg Angle

26 deg

Leg Locks

Twist

Top Tube Diameter

28.0 mm

Second Tube Diameter

24.0 mm

Third Tube Diameter

20.0 mm

Exchangeable Feet

Yes

Foot Type

Rubber Platform

Bottom Hook

Yes

The stiffness and damping data are the averages of 10 trials for each measurement. The reported error is the standard error, except in the case of the damping data. I have set the error in the damping at 10% as the standard error metric does not appropriately capture the error in fitting to the data. All of the reported specifications are measured, with the exception of the weight rating.

Example data for oscillations about the vertical axis of the tripod:

The accelerometer is glitching a bit. Does not affect the fit. The damping is actually really good for an aluminum tripod. Stiffness, not so much.

Some garbage, but overall a very nice clean Fourier spectrum

Example data for oscillations about the radial axis of the tripod:

Okay, clearly we are having some trouble fitting with this tripod. The frequency appears to change right as the vibrations die out. The oscillation frequency with large oscillations is well defined though, and that is what we are fitting to and reporting for the stiffness. The damping is clearly exceptional but the stiffness not so much. The huge amount of damping makes that irrelevant in practice. All of the oscillations are quickly coupled into the axial rotation.

The difficulty is clearly reflected in the frequency space data. We are getting the right line, its just not as clean as we are used to.